


Mercy

by octopuppy



Series: Soulbound [1]
Category: The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time
Genre: F/M, Gen, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Puppy Love, Young Zelda - Freeform, young Link - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-25
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2021-01-03 04:17:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 992
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21173291
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/octopuppy/pseuds/octopuppy
Summary: The Hero of Time visits Zelda in her courtyard after he is returned to his timeline.He finds he is the only one who remembers the events of his past and is advised against changing that.





	Mercy

“Are you from the forest?” She asked him, large eyes sparkling in the midday sun,   
“I dreamt a figure in green would come from the forest.” 

At this point, Princess Zelda was 11 years old. She was so purely innocent he thought he might cry. She was a far cry from the grim yet elegant young woman he knew before.  
“A figure in green accompanied by a fairy would come from the forest with the Spiritual Stone.”

His head spun and his heart leapt to his throat. This was so similar to their true first meeting. Maybe there was a chance after all. Eventually, he found himself able to speak.

“Yes, I’m from the forest. I don’t have the stone, though.” His own voice surprised him. He had gotten used to the thicker vocal cords of a 19 year old young man; his 12 year old body would take a while to be comfortable with again. Oblivious to the mental battle Link was waging with himself, Zelda looked only slightly disappointed, but her expression was measured. Of course, even as a child she was graceful and polite. A proper princess.

“What’s your name?” Link’s icy blue gaze flickered down to his boots, then back up to meet her sapphire stare. His mouth dried up almost immediately. To make matters worse, she leaned in closer in order to hear his quiet response.

“I’m Link.” He panicked for a moment before tacking on, “I wanted to show you something.” He turned and dug through his bag for a moment. His chest ached terribly. No, of course she wouldn’t remember him. He had already known. Still, reality stung more than he thought it would. His hand closed around his ocarina, the Ocarina of Time. He brought it out, presenting it to her slowly. Link wondered briefly if this was a good idea. He immediately forgot his doubts when her face changed to one of curiosity and delight. Her adult self was never so expressive. To see her like this was, to him, priceless. 

“An ocarina? Are you going to play a song?”

“No, Princess, you gave this to me yourself, remember?” He held it out to her, desperation creeping into his voice.   
“You, uh, you played it for me. Then you said I should take it until we met again.” Link searched her face for any signs of familiarity but there were none. Instead, she looked confused. He felt sick. His mouth dried up and his face burned as his gaze fell to his boots. Honestly, what had he expected to happen?

“But we’ve only just met,” Zelda pointed out with an awkward laugh behind her small hand. “I’m sure I would have remembered meeting someone like you!”

He stared at his toes. Had she meant that rudely? Probably not. It’s true, if you spent your life in a royal court it’d be hard not to remember meeting someone around your age, much less someone in the strange and simple garb he wore.

Mortified, he took one step back into the shadows and was blocked by a large Sheikah woman. He was more amazed at his ability to forget how he and Impa first met than he was to see her so abruptly. 

“And what is this?” Impa punctuated each word with a large step forward, sending Link scrambling back into the courtyard. With no doors and high walls, he felt like a rat in a trap. “An intruder? Shall I call the guards?” Her husky voice asked Zelda indirectly as Impa sized up all 5 feet of Link’s green-clad body. He swallowed hard and grit his teeth in anticipation. 

“No, Impa. Link is my friend. We met in a dream.” He still couldn’t believe how small Zelda’s voice was. Impa froze, looking down at the diminutive Hylian boy curiously. Link just stared back with a grimace. Impa did not respond for a few moments, her piercing crimson gaze sending chills down his spine. Finally, she spoke. 

“Say goodbye, then walk with me.” He resented her tone. Impa began towards the exit, leaving Link behind for only a moment. Zelda’s puzzled face still on him, he waved half-heartedly.

“It was… Good to see you,” he eventually bit out, cheeks blazing. He turned abruptly and followed Impa. A gentle, confused laugh reached his burning ears.

“Goodbye, Link,” she called out to him in an almost singsong tone. His heart skipped a beat. He caught up with Impa and she hastily escorted him out of Zelda’s personal courtyard. She walked slightly in front of him, but where she could see him in her peripherals. When he had the guts to glance over at her, he saw her intensely examining him. He faced forward again, not acknowledging his incredible discomfort. They didn’t exchange a word as they approached the gates to the castle until Impa placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Link, was it?” 

He nodded slowly in response.

“Where did you get that ocarina?” 

“I was telling the truth. She gave it to me,” Link said lamely. Somehow, he felt as though she would know if he lied. He decided not to chance it.

Once more, she stared directly into his eyes; he felt like prey in the sights of an apex predator. He was too afraid to look away. After what seemed like an eternity, she spoke again.

“I know the legends of the Ocarina of Time well. You knew her, didn’t you?” 

When Link just stared back at her, eyes wide, she continued, blood red eyes sympathetic.

“Ask yourself: will she be better off with the knowledge you have?”

Her words hung heavily in the air, but Link had no response. His gaze dropped and Impa took a few steps back into the shadows of the hallway. He did not look up as she moved, instead staring down at the blue ocarina in his hands. When he lifted his gaze moments later, he was alone.


End file.
